352 SUPPLEMENT ON 



taken by methodical naturalists. They approximate most to 

 the xiphias. 



The Histiophorus Indicus is named by the Malays of 

 Amboyna ikan-layer (fan-fish), and the Dutch call it zeyl- 

 vish (sail-fish). We are in fact informed that it raises and 

 lowers its dorsal like a fan, and employs it like a sail. Some 

 of these fish are very large, and, according to Bernard, com- 

 parable to small whales ; and when they raise their sail they 

 are distinguishable for a league at sea. 



This fish is very large, and of an excellent flavour. Shaw 

 relates a fact altogether similar to that which we have men- 

 tioned of the sword-fish. It is, that one of these fishes had 

 sunk its beak into the keel of a vessel with so much force 

 that it was broken and remained fixed there, a fortunate acci- 

 dent, without which, the vessel would infallibly have leaked. 



M. Cuvier thinks that those fish take the vessels for whales 

 or other large cetacea, their natural enemies, and employ 

 against them those arms with which they are provided by 

 nature. 



The Histiophorus Americanus, is found on the South 

 American coasts, and also on those of Africa in the Atlantic. 

 Marcgrave found many entire fishes in its stomach. Pison 

 tells us that its beak has many times been found sunk in the 

 keels of vessels. 



Of the genus Naucrates, the common species, naucrates 

 ductor, or the pilot, so named from the habit which it has of 

 following or accompanying vessels, or from that which is at- 

 tributed to it of conducting the shark, is a fish very analogous 

 to many of the preceding. It would seem to have been the 

 Pompilius of the ancients : a fish, which, according to them, 

 indicated the route to embarrassed navigators, which accom- 

 panied them to the neighbourhood of the land, and announced 

 their approach to it by quitting them. From this habit it de- 

 rived its name {irofxrn] comitatus). They regarded it as 



